


On Your Album

by opal_libra



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-04-27 03:25:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5031940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opal_libra/pseuds/opal_libra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yata and Saruhiko are huge fans of the popular rock band HOMRA, led by singer Mikoto Suoh. One day, they hatch a plan to meet the members of the band - but Yata's dream doesn't quite stop there. Amid the chaos of life on tour, Mikoto, Tatara, Kamamoto, and their manager/long-time friend Kusanagi are now stuck with some interesting decisions to make... //Eventual Sarumi and probably some other pairings, list will be updated as it progresses.</p><p>-on indefinite hiatus-</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Little side note: this AU takes place in a modern universe, early 2000’s, hence why MTV is actually broadcasting live shows)

“Come on Saru, we’re gonna miss it if we don’t hurry,” calls Yata over his shoulder, tugging on his friend’s wrist to try and get him to move more quickly.

“Then talk less and run faster,” Saruhiko replies. Yata laughs and nearly trips over a bump in the sidewalk in his rush to get home already. The pair round a corner, then another, before skidding to a sudden stop outside Yata’s house. It’s a nice place in a friendly suburban neighborhood, in a line of other nice houses just like it, but Saruhiko and Yata don’t have time for standing around and admiring the house’s exterior right now. Yata unlocks the door.

“Welcome home-” Yata’s mother starts to say, but her energetic son cuts her off.

“Hi mom, Saru and I have to go watch the live concert on TV, talk to you later!” With that, he races off down the hall, dragging Saruhiko with him. His mother laughs; he’s always been like this, so full of life and too busy to sit still for a minute.

“Make sure you offer Saruhiko something to drink,” she calls after them, knowing Yata will probably end up forgetting.

“Yeah!” Yata shouts back, having heard not a single word of what she just said.

 

In the living room, Yata drops his bag on the floor before rushing to turn the TV on. He and Saruhiko both throw themselves onto the couch and promptly go very quiet as they wait anxiously for the Fanta commercial to end. When it finally does, the MTV logo flashes - Yata is almost bouncing with excitement at this point. At last, the announcer shows up to tell the viewers that the live broadcast from the HOMRA concert is coming up next. Saruhiko goes to make a comment about how long that took, but Yata shuts him up by literally just putting a hand on his mouth and making a shushing sound. Saruhiko clicks his tongue.

“Are you ready to make some noise?!” shouts the concert’s announcer. The audience starts shouting and so does Yata; Saruhiko finds himself smiling just a little at his friend’s enthusiasm, then deciding, fuck it, I’m joining in. Yata is secretly delighted. “They came from a small town, now let’s give them a big welcome to the stage - give it up for HOMRA!”

As the audience goes berserk, chanting the HOMRA slogan (“no blood, no bone, no ash!”) over and over, the curtain slowly rises to reveal the silhouettes of the band members standing there, ready to start. The lights flash on. Yata tries hard not to squeal, but pretty much does exactly that anyway. As the blinding lights dim down a little, a spotlight lands on the guitarist, Tatara Totsuka, who’s starting the opening riff of their top hit. Another spotlight appears on Kamamoto Rikio, the drummer, who looks like he’s having the time of his life on those drums. The audience is getting steadily louder. Then, finally, the last spotlight appears.

Mikoto Suoh is standing in the middle of the stage and the audience is losing their shit. When he starts singing, the excitement in Yata’s eyes is so evident, it looks almost unreal to Saruhiko.

“This is so good,” whispers Yata. He’s wearing a huge grin. Saruhiko knows better than to reply verbally; Yata’s quite busy being absorbed into the world of the concert on TV, wishing he were there, and probably wouldn’t hear Saruhiko anyway. In all fairness, Saruhiko feels the same way, just with a lesser intensity.

The pair spend that entire afternoon together, watching the concert. Whenever a commercial break comes on, they either make snacks or talk about HOMRA - though admittedly, Yata does most of the talking. Some time later, the concert finally comes to a close.

“... It’s dark already,” comments Saruhiko off-handedly.

“Yeah,” Yata replies when he notices as much. After a short moment’s thought, Yata grins widely and asks a question. “Wanna sleep over?”

“Don’t your parents mind?” Saruhiko asks. Yata shrugs.

“Probably not. So, you staying or what?” When Yata’s being all happy about the idea of Saruhiko and him having a sleepover, Saruhiko finds it hard to repress a small smile. He nods. Yata punches the air. “Sweet! We’ll just have to drag the spare mattress to my room.”

Ten minutes later, Yata and Saruhiko have finally found and moved the mattress. Initially Saruhiko had insisted he would be fine just sleeping in his school uniform (“tomorrow’s a Saturday anyway, I can wash it over the weekend”), but with a bit of persuasion, Yata’s convinced him to borrow one of his own pajamas. Saruhiko sits on his mattress as he watches Yata dig through his closet in search of the “nice pillow”. He touches the fabric of the pajamas. They’re Misaki’s pajamas, Saruhiko repeatedly comments in his head. They’re a bit too small for me, but that’s because they’re Misaki’s pajamas.

“Found it!” Yata calls. Without any warning, he takes the pillow out and throws it at Saruhiko, who doesn’t react in time - it hits him square in the face.

Saruhiko is not pleased.

“Saru, your glasses-” laughs Yata, but his little victory doesn’t last long; he’s cut off by Saruhiko throwing the pillow right back at Yata’s face. Now it’s Saruhiko’s turn to snicker.

“I guess we’re even now, huh, Misaki?” he asks teasingly, grinning just a little. Yata isn’t about to let him off easy though. Picking the pillow up again, Yata steps closer to Saruhiko like some kind of predator.

“You wish!” With that, Saruhiko is hit in the face with a pillow yet again.

 

A while later, they’re lying on their beds, breathing heavily. Yata laughs and suggests a stalemate; Saruhiko nods his agreement before starting the search for his glasses. His hand touches something cold, so he picks it up and is relieved to find that his glasses aren’t broken. Saruhiko flops back onto his mattress.

“Hey, Saru?” begins Yata all of a sudden. Saruhiko turns towards him and looks at him, prompting him to continue. “D’you reckon we could, you know, meet them for real someday?” It takes Saruhiko a moment to realize that his friend is talking about HOMRA.

“Maybe,” he answers vaguely.

“Aw come on, don’t be like that, I know you wanna meet them too.” Yata, while usually too busy yelling or getting into fights to really take note of others (especially his friends) can be weirdly observant sometimes - this is one of those times. Saruhiko sighs and clicks his tongue.

“Who knows, Misaki. Maybe we really will meet them one day. I have no idea.” With some effort, Saruhiko manages to keep his voice sounding apathetic. Yata can see right through that facade though; he knows that Saruhiko would absolutely love to get the chance to see HOMRA in real life, despite how casual he acts about them. And aside from that, the pair do everything together anyway. Yata reckons that even if Saruhiko wasn’t that interested, he would still try to help Yata reach his goal of seeing HOMRA live. Hang on - see them live?

“... What if we go to one of their concerts though?” suggests Yata slowly.

“And then what? Break into their tour bus and hide until we can talk to them?” replies Saruhiko sarcastically. Yata stares at him with wide eyes and Saruhiko realizes that Yata is taking that idea completely seriously. The “I was kidding” dies on his tongue as Yata continues.

“But what if we really do though?” There’s a shining light in Yata’s eyes that Saruhiko finds himself distracted by momentarily. “What happens then? They can’t just dump us in the middle of the road - they wouldn’t do that.”

“You don’t know that,” Saruhiko interjects, but Yata just shakes his head vigorously.

“No way, Saru. They’re HOMRA, and they’re good people, they would at least take us to the nearest city or something.” Just the fact that Yata is basically suggesting they run away to join a famous band in a completely serious tone is making this situation too weird for Saruhiko. He thinks for a minute before answering.

“But what about your family?” he asks. Now it’s Yata’s turn to take a minute to think things through. Much too soon, according to Saruhiko, the redhead smiles and explains his solution.

“I’ll tell my siblings so they aren’t scared or something, and I’ll leave my mom a letter to explain things. Besides, we won’t be gone forever, she’ll see me again soon enough.” As simply as that, Yata has become completely okay with the concept of leaving his family behind to go chasing after some crazy dream. Saruhiko can’t resist the urge to sigh. He knows there’s nothing here that he would regret leaving behind - on the contrary, he’d prefer to leave that empty mansion and its hollow hallways behind him. His mother probably wouldn’t notice his absence, and his father, well… He’d probably just laugh. Yata knows better than to ask about Saruhiko’s family, so luckily, Saruhiko doesn’t have to voice these thoughts.

“... When were you thinking we would go?” Saruhiko asks. Yata’s eyes light up because wow, cynical Saruhiko is taking this whole plot seriously.

“They’re doing a show in the next city over in-” (Yata takes a moment to remember) “-about a month. We can use the time from now until then to get everything ready, then when they come around, we take a bus and head for their concert.”

“And what about the tickets?” comes Saruhiko’s reply.

“... Please, Saru?” Yata asks, making a cute face and putting his hands together in a pleading motion. Saruhiko clicks his tongue, closes his eyes, and nods. “Really?! Thank you so much Saru, you’re the best!”

Yata launches himself at Saruhiko, throwing his arms around his neck and effectively toppling them both over. With that, their plan is set; Saruhiko will pay for the tickets (it’s not like he can’t afford them or anything), and together they’ll run away with the intent of literally chasing Yata’s dream. They fall asleep very late that night, staying up to talk about the details of their plan.

 


	2. Chapter 2

The month between the day they came up with the idea and the day of its execution flew by all too quickly. Now, Yata’s sitting on the edge of his bed, reading over the final version of the letter for his mother one last time. The initial one had been much shorter, but Saruhiko had helped him edit it to better express what he was thinking. He folds it up and puts it into an envelope.

Saruhiko double-checks that his wallet has as much money as he could find, plus the pair of tickets. After confirming as much, he shoves the wallet back into the small backpack that he and Yata are using to bring the basic necessities (money, water, a camera,  phone chargers, iPod, its charger, and some spare undies - Yata figures they can recycle the rest of their clothes). He places the bag under his bed. If someone breaks in again, they’d better not take it, he thinks to himself. I’ll make sure of that myself.

At 5 that morning, Saruhiko stands outside Yata’s house waiting for him.

“Saru,” Yata hisses from upstairs. Saruhiko looks up to find his friend leaning out of his half-opened window, making a panicked face.

“What is it?” Saruhiko whispers back. The world is so quiet early in the morning that they can hear each other fine, even when they’re talking quietly; a part of Saruhiko hopes that other people can’t hear them as well.

“My mom’s downstairs. She hasn’t seen the letter yet, I think, but she’s awake. What do I do?” Now, of all times, is the right time for Saruhiko to click his tongue. He takes a moment to think things over - there’s no way for Yata to get to the front door without his mother noticing, so they’ve got to find a different solution. Suddenly Saruhiko has an idea.

“Climb out the window,” he says simply.

“What the fuck?” Yata replies elegantly, voice almost rising above a whisper. He claps a hand over his mouth and listens tensely, but there’s no response from inside the house.

“You heard me,” Saruhiko whispers. “Throw your jacket down to me and climb down. If you go in a straight line, you won’t be visible from any windows.” Rather than replying verbally, Yata heads back into his room to grab his jacket and throw that down already. He hesitates before answering Saruhiko, still not fully convinced of his plan.

“... And if I fall?” he mutters.

“I’ll catch you.” With the way Saruhiko says it, you’d think it was the most obvious response in the world. That’s enough to convince Yata, who nods and opens the window as far as it will go.

“Hurry up Misaki, we’ve got to get to that bus station within the next ten minutes or we risk being busted,” Saruhiko states unhelpfully. Yata makes an irritated sound at him, which quickly turns into a sound of surprise when the door to his bedroom opens. Halfway out of the window by this point, he turns his head towards the door to find his younger sister standing there and staring at him. Panic enters Yata’s eyes once more. It fades out a little when he realizes she isn’t going to call for their mother or anything; he realizes all of a sudden that Megumi’s just come to say goodbye. He gives her a sort of apologetic smile and mouths “goodbye”, to which she nods and waves at him silently. With that, Yata finally climbs out of the window and slips almost right away.

Saruhiko keeps his promise of catching Yata. Thankfully, Yata was already dangling low enough to almost jump down safely at that point, so neither of the two suffer much damage. They get to their feet, look at each other, and nod before running off in the direction of the bus stop together.

 

Some twenty-five minutes later, the pair are finally sitting on the bus, near the back, sharing their headphones as they listen to Saruhiko's iPod. Yata feels tingly with excitement. Until yesterday, their plan had felt sort of like a distant concept, a very wonderful one but one that was going to happen in the far future; now, on this bus, it feels more real than ever. He alternates between staring out of the window and trying to get reactions out of Saruhiko (by prodding him, nudging him, randomly turning the music volume up or down...), unable to focus on one thing for long. Saruhiko doesn't find it in himself to tell his friend to settle down already. He mostly keeps his eyes on the diagram of the bus route to ensure they'll get off at the right stop - after all, it would be plain dumb if all of their efforts amounted to nothing because of a missed bus stop.

“The next stop is ours,” Saruhiko finally says after what feels like hours, but was really only forty minutes at most. Yata takes his headphone out and waits for Saruhiko to do the same, then he wraps the cord around the iPod and tucks it back into the backpack.

“It's really happening, Saru,” whispers Yata. Their eyes meet; Saruhiko finds himself very much distracted by how beautiful Yata's eyes actually are. He nods. Yata turns his head the other way again to look out of the window while Saruhiko catches himself wondering whether it's normal that he really likes having moments like that one with Yata, where it feels like it's only them in the whole world.

The bus stops.

Yata jumps to his feet, picks up the backpack without letting Saruhiko have the chance to offer to carry it, and grabs Saruhiko's hand. They practically run off the bus together. When they’re both on solid ground again, they take a moment to marvel at the city; despite how close it is to where they live, they’ve never actually been here before. Saruhiko reckons his parents must have seen this place many times, but he himself only really stayed in the empty house, at school, or (whenever he could) at Yata’s house. Yata’s situation is somewhat different - while his family isn’t as dysfunctional as his best friend’s, neither his mother nor his siblings’ father feels like dragging around two children and one excitable teenager just to walk through a city for a few hours. It seems like a bit of a waste of an otherwise rare free day, they think.

“All right, which way to the concert?” Yata asks after not a very long pause at all. Saruhiko takes out the piece of paper from his pocket on which he’s written the address of the arena where HOMRA will be performing. Then he pulls out a map from a different pocket.

“If we’re here,” he begins, looking at a spot he’s previously marked with a red marker, “then it’s in that direction.” Saruhiko nods his head towards their left.

“Damn Saru, you’re super prepared,” remarks Yata in amazement, looking at Saruhiko in a way that Saruhiko himself should probably not find that cute, but I’m getting distracted by how cute Misaki is again, Saruhiko finds himself complaining internally. … Wait, what?

“Let’s go,” Saruhiko says quickly, hoping Yata can’t somehow read minds or something.

“Yeah! Oh man, I’m so excited, it felt like this was always gonna be a dream!” And right then, in that moment, watching the excitement shine in Yata’s eyes, Saruhiko finally decides he’s made an entirely correct decision. Damn his bad gut feeling to hell anyway.

The walk to the concert takes a little longer than Saruhiko had anticipated because Yata keeps insisting on moving faster and faster, so they wind up lost for a little bit. Saruhiko’s sense of direction comes in handy though. Once the arena itself comes into view, they’re both a little bit amazed at how huge the thing actually is. As they get closer, it only looms taller, but it seems that this can only serve to make Yata more excited. That’s when an unusually observant idea pops into Yata’s head - an idea which quickly becomes a question.

“Hey, Saru?” he starts slowly. Saruhiko looks at him. “If the arena’s this big, that means there’s gonna be, like, a fuckton of people in there, right?”

“Well, yeah,” replies Saruhiko, wondering where the hell this is going.

“Then how did you manage to get tickets only a month before the actual performance?” asks Yata with a fully serious face. The two of them simultaneously stop walking as Yata waits for an answer from his friend; both of them know that Yata wouldn’t end up being too bothered if Saruhiko had stolen them or something (heck, it’s the HOMRA concert, if Saruhiko hadn’t then Yata probably would have found a way to get those tickets somehow). They also both know that that isn’t what Saruhiko did, though.

“... I found them on their website,” replies Saruhiko vaguely. Yata raises an eyebrow, though Saruhiko isn’t sure if this is because he didn’t know HOMRA had a website or because he’s being skeptical.

“Were they expensive?” Yata then asks. He’s careful with his words, knowing well that Saruhiko is much better at weaseling his way out of giving explanations than Yata himself is.

“Depends what you think of as expensive,” the taller shrugs.

“Saru,” whines Yata. Clicking his tongue, Saruhiko crosses his arms before finally giving an actual answer.

“Yeah, fine, they were overpriced. So what? Consider it my birthday present for you,” he says. Yata stares at him for a moment, then randomly punches Saruhiko’s shoulder pretty hard. When he goes to complain, Saruhiko sees that Yata’s actually really emotional but is trying to hide it behind some kind of bizarre tough act. He sighs and lightly punches Yata’s shoulder back. Yata mentally yells at himself that he can’t just randomly hug Saruhiko, then decides, fuck it, I want to and I’m going to. Saruhiko pretends not to enjoy the hug.

 

They spend the majority of the rest of that day milling about and waiting for the doors to open so they can get into the arena already. Some people have set up camp near or in front of the doors so as to be the first ones in the venue; Yata and Saruhiko hadn’t thought of that, but now they’re sitting against the outer walls sharing their headphones again. Of course, they’re listening to HOMRA’s music.

“I really like that one acoustic song that Tatara did,” Yata comments after a while of going through some of the band’s songs on shuffle. “You have it, right?”

“You want to listen to it now?” asks Saruhiko. Yata nods.

“I actually hope they let him do that one, that would be… wow.” Just the idea is enough to make Yata’s eyes light up all over again. Saruhiko finds the song and hits play, hoping that light will stay in Yata’s eyes for another while. Then again, when the concert starts, Yata’s bound to get all excited…

The last few hours until the opening of the doors pass them by remarkably quickly.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Kusanagi Izumo resists the urge to groan in frustration when he has to repeat the same instruction for the eighteenth time that afternoon. Being a manager is hard work enough as it is, but when they’re right in the middle of a tour and nobody else apparently thought to tell the lighting crew what kind of light effects were necessary, that just makes his job that much harder. Best of all, he has a lot of other things to get to - and while he does understand that the lighting cues need to be exact and well-executed, he honestly doesn’t understand why the crew has to come and ask him the same thing over and over one at a time.

“Oi, Izumo,” calls Mikoto Suoh, HOMRA’s lead singer, from over on the couch that’s been set up backstage. “Got any cigarettes for me?”

“Not right now, Mikoto,” Kusanagi replies in a voice that sounds strained from all the effort he’s putting into not sounding strained. He really wishes he did have a pack of cigarettes on him though - they help to calm his nerves. Taking out his PDA, he goes to double-check something when he gets a sudden call from none other than Tatara Totsuka.

“Hey Kusanagi~!” chimes the enthusiastic blond.

“Where the hell are you?” asks Kusanagi, now having a harder time than ever with keeping his cool. Tatara had vanished an hour or two ago with no trace of where he might be. While this wasn’t really unusual or uncommon in any sense of either word, it was still worrisome, and most times he would at least leave a little note. This time, there had been nothing.

“I’m locked in the toilet. Can you come get me?” Tatara asks cheerfully.

“Found Tatara?” Mikoto calls.

“He’s locked in the toilet,” Kusanagi sighs exasperatedly. Mikoto nods, sitting up straight.

“So it’s happened again. I’ll go get him,” he says, and with that, he’s off. Kusanagi blesses his lucky stars that Mikoto has finally decided to stop lazing about when there’s a lot of work to be done, then remembers that he himself has quite a bit to do as well. His brain conveniently overlooks the fact that Mikoto just literally said that Tatara has gotten himself locked in the toilet at least once before this time.

The opening acts of the concert are interesting, Yata shouts to Saruhiko over the din, but they're nothing compared to HOMRA. Saruhiko has to agree; he's not too impressed by the talent of the warm-up bands. Then again, he's not very easily impressed in the first place, so perhaps the comparison is unfair. Suddenly the lights go black.

“Oh yeah!” shouts Yata very loudly, pumping the air with his fist. An announcer's voice rings out through the audience.

“And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! They've come a long way to be here with us tonight. Let's give it up for HOMRA!” Finally, finally Yata gets to be a part of the crowd that goes totally ape shit to welcome HOMRA onto the stage. Saruhiko feels some of Yata's excitement - the excitement of everyone in the audience - like a static charge in the air. It's electrifying. Yata has one hand up to pump the air, and with the other, he grabs hold of Saruhiko's hand. After a short moment of surprise, Saruhiko decided to go with it, passing off the warm feeling in his chest as the excitement that's all around this place.

“HOMRA! HOMRA!” The crowd is chanting, surging forward somehow - and Yata's chanting right along with them. Saruhiko finds himself joining in almost subconsciously.

Backstage, Kusanagi snatches Mikoto's cigarette away from him and shoves him onto the stage behind the curtain. Tatara and Kamamoto are already out there waiting; when Mikoto joins them, the band is finally ready to go. Mikoto grins as a good idea hits him. He picks up his microphone and turns it on, knowing how easily the audience will recognize his voice, and starts up a new chant.

The audience goes wild and soon every last person is shouting the band's slogan at the top of their lungs; “no blood! No bone! No ash!”

Finally, the curtain ascends.

Tatara blinks against the blinding lights that are shining right at his face. To his left, Mikoto is taking a deep breath to get himself ready for the first song; on Mikoto's left, Kamamoto is grinning like an excited child. The three of them face the audience, watching the huge crowd screaming their band's name. Mikoto takes a step forward and opens his arms out, which makes the fans scream even louder. Kamamoto and Tatara exchange a glance. When Tatara nods, Kamamoto counts to four and begins the intro to one of their newer songs, which opens on a brief drum solo. Moments later, Tatara and Mikoto join in - the fans are singing along with every word. It feels amazing to be up there with the knowledge that every last person in front of them specifically arranged their time and money just for the chance to see HOMRA live, Kamamoto thinks before he dismisses all thoughts to focus on the drum patterns.

Backstage, in a soundproof room, Kusanagi is watching everything over a monitor to make sure it all runs smoothly. People dash in and out of the room every now and then to confirm this or that, but other than that, he's alone. He doesn't mind that though. As much as he loves working with his friends, he's not really the type to get up on the stage himself; even though the band needs a permanent bass guitar player rather than a temporarily hired one every time, Kusanagi can't bring himself to join them out there. He'd rather stay here and help them by proxy.

“This next song is for one of my best friends,” Mikoto says into the microphone once the first song comes to an end. “I know you're watching, and you know who you are. Here we go!”

Kusanagi cannot believe that Mikoto really meant it when he said he was dedicating a song to him in honor of their long-lasting friendship. He's very touched at how direct that little address just now was.

Somewhere in the audience, Yata finds himself wishing he could be that close to Mikoto. Glancing sideways at Saruhiko, who also looks his way at that moment, Yata decides that they'll simply have to make that dream a reality when they do get onto the band's tour bus. Yata smiles at Saruhiko. They're going to make it happen. They're finally going to get to meet the members of the band personally, and while they're at it, they'll be away from home permanently for the first time in their lives.

Throughout the whole concert, the air in the arena continues to hold some kind of electrical charge, like the calm before a storm. Which is odd, really, given how much of a storm there already is in there. Saruhiko definitely wouldn't describe it any other way though. By the time the band is performing their second encore, the static in the air has gotten more prominent - it's more tangible now.

Mikoto calls out a thank-you-and-good-night, then leaves the stage for the third time today. Kamamoto follows suit. Tatara makes to unplug his guitar, then he suddenly gets an idea - why not do a quick solo? He steps over to where Mikoto's microphone is, happy that his cord can stretch that far.

“I hope you all had a great time! I sure did, so I wanted to thank everyone who made it tonight with a little something I wrote myself.” He may not have Mikoto's natural talent, but Tatara handles the whole talking-to-the-audience thing like a pro nonetheless. In his backstage room, Kusanagi relaxes a little. Tatara hadn't mentioned he would be doing this, but then again, it is Tatara. If there's one unpredictable person on the team, it's definitely him. The door opens and Mikoto and Kamamoto enter; they flop down onto the couch beside Kusanagi, exhausted from the live show. Both of them watch Tatara on the screen keenly.

Yata is yelling excitedly.

“Can you believe it?! I didn't think he would actually do this, holy shit, we're so lucky!” Saruhiko doesn't have time to reply before Yata's attention is back on the stage.

As Tatara begins his song, the audience raise their hands up and sway them in time with the slow, sweeping melody. It sounds very different when an electric guitar is being used in place of an acoustic one, but that's not a bad thing at all - on the contrary, it adds an entirely unique touch to an already special song. Even Saruhiko has to admit that he likes the sound a lot. Beside him, Yata watches Tatara's performance with his mouth hanging slightly open, arms moving to the rhythm almost subconsciously. He feels a peculiar something in his gut that he's never felt before - it's a warm sort of feeling, jittery but not nervous, excited but not anxious. He doesn't know it yet, but this moment will eventually give him the inspiration to write a song of his own. In this moment, it's all he can do to focus his attention on Tatara.

“Thank you,” says Tatara humbly after holding out the last note. Everyone is applauding as loudly as they can while Tatara leaves the stage in a hurry, eager to catch up with his friends.

“Nice job, Tatara,” says Mikoto when Tatara enters Kusanagi's little control-room. “I liked it a lot.”

“Yeah, it was pretty great,” Kamamoto adds.

“You guys are too nice,” Tatara says with a little blush. They scoot over on the couch to make room for him - which turns out to be unnecessary, since Kusanagi stands up pretty much right away.

“You all did great, I think it was probably my favorite concert so far. And did you hear the audience? There's going to be a long line for autographs, if that sound was any indication.” Practical-minded Kusanagi thinks for a moment before continuing. "I know you probably want a rest. I can give you guys ten - no, fifteen minutes before you've got to get out and start giving out autographs if we wanna be on the road by one this morning. Sound good?"

The other three nod.

Saruhiko and Yata have to hold hands tightly to avoid losing each other in the throng of people as they make their way towards the stage. They know they won't be able to hear each other over the din either, so they've agreed that a squeeze means 'stop' and a double squeeze means 'emergency'. They're heading towards the doors on the far side of the stage that lead backstage. Every step they take gets them further from the majority of the crowd; soon, they're almost able to walk side by side without the need for holding hands. Saruhiko almost finds it regrettable - wait, what?

“So we just find a way to get past security and go from there, right?” Yata asks.

“Leave it to me,” answers Saruhiko, a mischievous light in his eyes. He takes off his jacket, stuffs it into the backpack, and buttons up his blazer all the way. The thought crosses Yata’s mind that it’s weird for Saruhiko to have chosen a blazer, of all things, to wear to the concert, but he’s too busy wondering what Saruhiko’s idea is to really care. Saruhiko slicks his hair back using his hand, straightens his glasses, and pulls his phone out of a side pocket in the backpack. He tosses the backpack at Yata.

“What are-?” starts Yata, only to be cut off by Saruhiko.

“Put on your best worried face and pull that beanie down lower so they won’t guess your age,” instructs Saruhiko, who now has a business-like air about him. “We’re going to go by them quickly, so say nothing to the security people and keep trying to tell me that we’re running out of time. Got it?” Yata is confused and feels like he does not, in fact, “have it,” but he nods.

“Then let’s go.”

The security crew are tired from all of the fans they’ve had to push backwards throughout the course of the tour already. When people approach, they’re used to just saying no repeatedly and looking intimidating until the fans give up; they’re also fairly used to Kusanagi’s people running past them, busy with paperwork, phone calls, important texts, and so on. When Saruhiko heads in their direction, phone to his ear and sounding like he’s receiving some bad news, they exchange a look. One of them mutters something about a newbie being recruited to Kusanagi’s team recently.

“... and if that’s really the best they can do, tell them the last crew I worked with was at least twice as productive. No, I don’t have time for- let us through, please,” Saruhiko says, interrupting his fake phone conversation to quickly address a question to the security guards. He pulls the whole act off so naturally, Yata wonders whether he secretly spied on his parents at work or something like that. The guards exchange a look, then move aside to let them pass. “Hurry up, will you?” adds Saruhiko, beckoning to Yata before talking into the phone about his “associate in Paris”. They walk on like that until they round the nearest corner.

“Damn, you’re a natural,” enthuses Yata. Saruhiko shrugs and puts his phone into his pocket.

“Now comes the part where we find the actual bus, so keep your eyes peeled for some kind of exit.” It feels almost like they’re on a secret mission in one of Yata’s video games or something; at any rate, Yata is very much thrilled to be doing this with Saruhiko. He feels like even if they get caught, he won’t regret a thing.

“Is that an exit?” asks Yata, pointing to a door at the end of the corridor some ten steps later. It’s dark, and Saruhiko has a hard time seeing much, but he assumes that if there’s only one door in sight, it must be the one.

“Let’s find out.” The two walk towards the door. On the way there, they pass a side hallway - Saruhiko walks right on past, so Yata doesn’t take the time to glance down it. They must be no more than five paces away from the door when a voice suddenly rings out behind them.

“Can I help you?” Tatara Totsuka asks in a cheerful voice. Yata and Saruhiko freeze on the spot; Saruhiko hadn’t thought to keep his phone to his ear in case something like this would happen. They just look like intruders right now. Luckily Yata does some quick thinking - before Saruhiko can come up with an excuse, Yata smiles at Tatara and pulls an innocent face, complete with nervous hand gestures (though that might just be because he’s in the presence of one of his idols).

“We’re looking for the bathroom,” he states simply. Saruhiko wants to slap himself in the face. (Or maybe Yata).

“I can show you the way,” chimes Tatara. He walks to them, grabs their hands, and leads them out of the door they had been heading towards anyway. _Is this guy stupid or something? We could literally be serial killers_ , thinks Saruhiko. It crosses his mind that this person could be a security guide in disguise, but judging by the starstruck look on Yata’s face, and the fact that Yata would recognize the true HOMRA members among a million copies, that’s not the case. He can only wonder what’s next for them as Tatara literally brings them to the tour bus they had been meaning to break into.


	4. Chapter 4

Tatara takes a key out of his pocket and unlocks a side door. He beckons Yata and Saruhiko inside, not even asking their names, and points to a different door right in front of them.

“Here’s the toilet! There’s one in the arena, but the line is crazy long, so you guys can just use this one,” he says. Saruhiko decides that the person in front of him has a screw loose (or rather, _many_ screws loose) if he’s fine with letting people into his band’s tour bus just like that, but he figures it’s probably best not to mention the thought out loud. To his right, Yata is nodding.

“Thank you so much,” Yata says. Suddenly Saruhiko wonders why Yata was so impressed with his acting before, if Yata can pull the same kind of stunt just as easily. Then he remembers that Yata is probably really as awestruck as he’s acting right now and it makes a little more sense.

“It’s no problem, I - hang on a moment.” Tatara gives them an apologetic smile as he answers his phone. “Hello? Oh, hi Kusanagi! … Lost me? No, I’m just - … Okay, I’ll come back to where you guys are, just give me one minute. … Yep! See you~” And he hangs up with a flourish, smiling as if his manager can see him right this minute. Then he turns his attention back to Yata and Saruhiko.

“We can leave,” Saruhiko says quickly before Yata has the chance.

“No, it’s fine. Just promise you’ll close the door behind you when you do go, okay?” The two nod and Tatara smiles at them again. “Bye!”

“... Is he really such an airhead?” asks Saruhiko once the cheerful blond is out of earshot. Yata shrugs, eyes still fixed on Tatara’s receding figure. Saruhiko watches Yata - specifically, Yata’s eyes - and finds the view more exciting than any concert, but he’s not about to tell Yata as much. … Nor is he about to admit it to himself. _It’s normal to look at your best friend like this. I’m just surprised that his bluff worked, so I’m checking to see if he’s nervous - that’s all_ , Saruhiko explains to himself. It’s a good thing he doesn’t say this though, because even someone who is normally as oblivious as Yata would give him a sarcastic look at the blatant lies. Saruhiko chooses to pretend he believes them though.

“I dunno. Does it matter? We made it onto the bus!” Yata practically yells.

“Let’s close that door before somebody realizes we’re here,” says Saruhiko, reaching over and pulling the thing shut. Then he looks back at Yata’s eyes. “We really did it.”

“Damn straight,” cheers Yata, pumping a fist into the air like he did before. I _’m not so sure whether “straight” applies to either of us, Misaki,_ Saruhiko wants to say jokingly, but he’s not sure Yata would get that he’s joking. “So I guess we hide out now and wait for the bus to start moving, right?” continues the redhead after a moment’s pause. Saruhiko nods. There really isn’t much else they can do right now - they can’t risk looking around for too long in case the band decides to make an early run for it, after all. Then again, they’ve probably got to do autographs for a few hours, Saruhiko reasons mentally.

“We should try to find someplace they won’t be checking for the next little while,” he says. “The manager could be in and out of here any time.”

“So not the toilet?” Yata asks.

“No, Misaki, not the toilet.” As he tends to do, Saruhiko clicks his tongue.

“Hmm, someplace they wouldn’t check… Under the couch?” suggests Yata as he scans the part of the bus that’s immediately visible to him. Saruhiko thinks it over for just a moment, then shakes his head.

“I don’t know about you, but I think I’d notice a stranger lying under my couch pretty quickly. Look at it, our feet would stick out, if not more. … How about the beds?”

“What beds?” Yata peers down the length of the bus, but doesn’t see what Saruhiko’s referring to. “I don’t see any beds.”

“They’ll be in the back. Come on, let’s go.” With that, Saruhiko leads the way down the bus. They pass the little makeshift living room, then the kitchen, until they finally reach the end of the corridor that makes up the living space of the bus. Here, there are two bunk beds set into each wall, directly opposite one another. Each bunk has a dark curtain that can be pulled out to provide the person sleeping in the bed with some privacy - or maybe some darkness, if the person’s bandmates are staying up late and keeping the lights on. Saruhiko figures this is the best they’re going to get.

“So we’ll hide out here?” Yata checks. That’s when he notices that there’s another 4-set of bunk beds that are right behind the ones they’re standing at; he points to them. “How about we go for the ones at the very back then?”

“Hmmm…” Saruhiko frowns as he thinks something through. “Wait right there, Misaki.” With that, he heads back to the front and motions for Yata to stand off to the side. Yata follows the instruction, not really getting what this is about until Saruhiko starts nodding.

“Saru?” he calls forward.

“We need to be in the top one on the right, in the back,” he states. “That’s where we’re least visible from the front.”

“Okay, so how are we-” starts Yata as Saruhiko walks back towards him. He stops talking and covers his mouth when he hears someone fumbling with their keys outside the door. The two of them exchange a panicked look. Saruhiko dashes forward, offers Yata a boost, then climbs up beside him. They sit squished together against the thin piece of wall that separates the head of this bunk bed from the foot of the one in front of it. Yata gives the curtain a quick yank so it conceals them, but doesn’t pull it out any more than is absolutely necessary for fear of being noticed. They hold as still as they can.

“... thinking, leaving this thing unlocked. It’s a miracle nobody’s stolen the TV yet.” The person seems to be talking to themselves. Yata looks at Saruhiko with wide eyes and mouthes “Kusanagi”.

“Oh? I don’t remember having left the lights on either… On second thoughts, that was probably Tatara.” A little clicking sound is audible and the bus suddenly goes a whole lot darker than it was before. Saruhiko figures Tatara must have switched the lights on when he opened the door for the two of them. “Now where did I put that agenda with - oh, there it is.” Kusanagi’s footsteps feel like they sound way too loud to Yata and Saruhiko as he walks over to the coffee table in the living room area, grabs his agenda, and heads back for the door. They wait until he’s locked the door behind him to breathe a sigh of relief.

“That was close,” says Yata quietly.

“‘Close’ is putting it lightly.” Saruhiko finds that he’s barely speaking above a whisper as well, even though he’s pretty sure nobody else besides them is in the bus any longer. There’s an awkward pause during which Yata and Saruhiko both realize that there’s really no reason for them to be sitting _this_ close together anymore, so Saruhiko scoots over a bit to give them some breathing room. He tries to tell himself to calm down already, because that racing heartbeat of his is _definitely_ _not_ due to how close he was to Yata just now.

Yata pulls the curtain back.

“... So what are we gonna do while we wait for them to come back?” wonders Yata out loud. Saruhiko thinks about it for a moment, then takes out the iPod.

“We have this,” he answers. Yata smiles at him and nods.

“Yeah! Let’s just relax and listen to some music, and they’ll be here soon enough, right?”

“Maybe,” shrugs Saruhiko, unwrapping the headphones and handing one to Yata, who giggles.

“You should chill, Saru. We’ve made it this far - nothing can stop us anymore. You and me, we can do anything as long as we work together,” enthuses Yata, gesturing with his hands to emphasize how passionate he is about this idea of his. Saruhiko smiles just a little bit.

“I guess you’re right,” he says. Yata’s eyes - no, his whole _being_ \- light up at the sight of his best friend showing a rare smile.  Saruhiko feels his heart race again and he hates how easy it is for Yata to get this kind of a reaction out of him without even trying, hates it but also loves it; he sighs internally as he forces his mind to focus on picking a playlist and putting it on shuffle. If there’s one thing he’s convinced of, it’s that he’s _not_ gay for Yata. _Definitely_ not. He’s just not used to being shown affection by anyone, or feeling attraction to anyone like with - _no wait, not attraction in_ that _way,_ insists Saruhiko to himself. _This is different._

He knows he can't keep denying this forever, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to try.

 

By the time Saruhiko’s playlist starts over, they’ve been sitting on that bed, occasionally talking and occasionally just listening to the music, for hours. It’s pitch black outside. Yata’s head is resting on Saruhiko’s shoulder; their legs dangle over the edge of the bunk as they sit there. Suddenly the sound of voices approaching from outside prompts Saruhiko to smash the pause button on the iPod and shove the thing back into the backpack. Yata sits bolt upright.

“They’re here!” he hisses, drawing his legs back towards himself and squishing up against the walls behind and beside him. Saruhiko moves very close to Yata again and pulls the curtain out in front of them. They look at each other, then both reach for the other’s hand at almost exactly the same time.

“Wow, what a night,” says Kamamoto. He walks in and flops down onto one of the couches right away after flicking the lights on. “I’m beat.”

“Me too,” Mikoto sighs. They both glance over to Tatara, who is trying to drag Kusanagi into their part of the bus with him. It looks like it’s working; mere moments later, the pair of blonds join the other two on the couches. Tatara grabs the remote and switches the TV on.

“Anyone want a drink?” Kusanagi offers, ready to go fix something using what they have in the minibar. All three of them raise their hands. Having been around them for long enough, Kusanagi knows exactly what they want; a mojito for Mikoto, a strawberry margarita for Kamamoto, and a plain glass of orange juice for Tatara. He reckons he’ll have a sex on the beach himself - he could really use something sweet. When he opens the fridge, he changes his mind and grabs the ingredients for an iced coffee that he’s going to spike with Bailey’s.

Ten minutes later, the four of them are sipping their respective drinks as they talk about the day’s events. The TV’s volume is lowered - none of them are actually watching it anyway. Yata and Saruhiko squeeze each other’s hands when they feel the bus start to move during those ten minutes.

“They talk like old friends,” whispers Saruhiko as quietly as he can.

“They are, they’ve known each other since like, middle school or something,” Yata whispers back. It figures that Yata would know as much trivia on the band as there is to know, of course; he takes HOMRA very seriously.

“So Tatara,” says Kusanagi a while later, “you were saying something about letting people use the toilet on this bus before - what was that all about?”

Behind the curtain, Yata and Saruhiko give each other nervous looks.

“Oh yeah, I ran into some friendly strangers that asked me where the toilet was, so I let them use ours,” he replies casually, as if it’s very normal to just invite total strangers into your tour bus and let them use your toilet when you’re not even around.

“What?” Mikoto, Kamamoto, and Kusanagi sit up very straight and look at Tatara in shock.

“Yep,” says Tatara.

“You do realize that they could’ve been robbers, right?” Kamamoto asks, looking at Tatara incredulously. Relieved to have someone on the team who can speak the language of reason, Kusanagi nods.

“Or kidnappers, or even serial killers,” he tacks on.

“But they’re not!” protests Tatara adamantly.

“How do you know that though?” Mikoto asks. He’s usually the one to take Tatara’s side in arguments, but this time Tatara could have really gotten himself into some serious trouble. If he had been kidnapped, or worse, killed, Mikoto would not have been able to live with that knowledge. _Perhaps Kusanagi’s right and Tatara really is too trusting after all,_ thinks Mikoto to himself.

“Because they’re our fans. I could tell by looking at them. They didn’t want to hurt us - they just wanted to see us, or maybe even get some autographs,” explains Tatara calmly.

“And besides, they’re right over there on this very bus right now!” He points right at Yata and Saruhiko’s hiding place.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh it's probably not fair of me to end this chapter on a cliffhanger, but the next one's coming soon to fix that, I promise~


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... This chapter is a week and a half late ^^' The next one will still be up around next Tuesday though.

Kusanagi likes to pride himself on the fact that while he’s young, he has seen a lot of the things life has to offer. He’s been to many places and met many different kinds of people - not to mention that he’s become one of the youngest and most successful band managers. However, none of his experience could have prepared him for the sight of a pair of teenage boys squished close together, holding hands, hiding on one of the spare bunk beds when he draws back the curtain.

“Hi there,” he says for lack of what else to say. Yata tries really hard not to look starstruck but it’s not working.

“U-um, hi!” stutters the redhead in a slightly-too-loud voice, just loud enough that his enthusiasm shines through in an awkward way. “We really aren’t here to hurt you - not at all, we just wanted to meet you guys, so we ran away from home, which wasn’t that hard actually, and we kind of snuck onto your tour bus and-”

“Woah, hold on,” Kusanagi interrupts, laughing lightly as he puts his hands up in a stopping motion. “Slow down a little, I can’t understand you.”

“He’s trying to say that we ran away to hide out on your tour bus,” Saruhiko says by way of explaining. Bewildered by the situation and not really knowing what else he’s supposed to do, Kusanagi sighs and tells the boys they can climb out from that bunk already, because it looks like quite the squish. Yata and Saruhiko do as they’re told. They stand there in front of the back row of bunk beds, Yata looking at each of the HOMRA members with wide eyes and Saruhiko with a less evident sort of curiosity on his features. Kusanagi glances back towards the others.

“... Now what?” Kamamoto asks. They promptly look at Kusanagi, who is normally the person to look to for answers in their group.

“I have no idea,” admits Kusanagi, sizing up Yata and Saruhiko as he contemplates what they can realistically do with these runaway teenagers. One thing’s for sure - nobody else can find out they’re here, because that would create way too many PR problems and as kind-hearted as he is, Kusanagi is not about to work overtime to cover up for the fact that people will undoubtedly think that HOMRA kidnapped these two here. It occurs to him then that he doesn’t actually know how old they are - _what if they’re minors?_ Now Kusanagi is internally screaming.

“Hold on a moment,” says Kamamoto after a moment. “Tatara, if you knew these guys were on the bus, why didn’t you say so sooner? We’re pretty far away from the city where they got on the bus by now, you know.”

“Oh, I was just waiting for the opportunity,” Tatara answers completely casually.

“How did you _know_ they were there?” Kusanagi asks, giving Tatara an intense look and becoming very frustrated when Tatara only answers with vague hand motions and some humming noises.

“You guys are so cool,” Yata whispers more to himself than to anyone in particular. He’s never been around anyone even remotely famous - to him, Saruhiko is probably the next closest thing to a celebrity that he’s ever known. (Not that he would admit as much to Saruhiko). Suddenly everyone’s looking at him and he’s blushing bright red, shuffling his feet.

“I have an idea,” says Mikoto. The attention shifts to him right away as he gets up from the couch, stretches, and steps towards Yata and Saruhiko. “How about you guys tell us who you are?”

“Yatagarasu!” Yata announces, hoping to himself that they won’t ask for his first name. “And this is Saru,” he continues, pointing at Saruhiko.

“Saruhiko,” he says - if it’s not Yata using them, he doesn’t want any nicknames. “Saruhiko Fushimi.”

“Yatagarasu is an interesting first name,” Kusanagi comments lightly, giving Yata a little smile. Yata feels his heart race at having Kusanagi directly talk to him for the first time; it really has been worth it coming all the way out here, if only for this moment right now.

“It’s not!” Yata half-shouts, then clears his throat to try to calm himself down. “U-um, I mean, it’s not my first name. Not that it’s not interesting. I-I wasn’t trying to disagree with you, Mister Kusanagi, I just, um-”

“‘Mister?’” laughs Kusanagi. “It’s been a long time since anyone called me something so formal. I think I like these guys, Mikoto.” He speaks with a lot more easiness now than he did when this conversation first began - apparently he’s not so nervous about Yata and Saruhiko’s intentions anymore now that he’s seen how entirely harmless Yata is around the HOMRA crew.

“So what’s your first name, then?” Mikoto asks, looking at Yata.

“Um…” He looks at the ground because _oh dear lord_ is it embarrassing to state the first name he hates in front of his long-time idol. Luckily Saruhiko takes matters into his own hands.

“It’s Misaki, but he doesn’t want to be called that,” shrugs Saruhiko.

“ _Saru_ ,” hisses Yata, nudging his best friend in the ribs. Saruhiko mutters something about Yata being too rude and tells him to calm down already. Yata gives him a glare and then looks back at Mikoto. “Uh, yeah. It’s like Saru says.”

“So, Fushimi and Yatagarasu,” he mutters, speaking slowly and somehow coming across as very intimidating in the process. Yata swallows hard; Saruhiko finds himself looking around almost subconsciously for any escape routes and wishing, for some reason, that he could be holding Yata’s hand again. The moment stretches just a little too long - Saruhiko is starting to get a little twitchy. Another poor attempt at an explanation is already on the tip of Yata’s tongue when Mikoto finally makes his move. He catches them both entirely off guard by just smiling at them. “That’s a mouthful.”

“Just Yata is fine too,” says Yata quickly, eager to fall into favor with the band leader.

“Oh, okay.” Mikoto puts a hand on Yata’s shoulder and Yata nearly passes out. “So then, Yata, how about you tell us why you’re here?”

“Mikoto, this isn’t a game show,” Kusanagi interjects.

“Don’t listen to him, just tell me,” Mikoto says with another smile; Yata really doesn’t think that having his heart beat _this_ fast all the time can be healthy, but dismisses the thought.

“Saru and I are huge fans of yours, and we really wanted to meet you guys, so Saru said we should get on your tour bus and go with you. I think he was kidding, but I sure wasn’t. We got our stuff, bought concert tickets, came here, and thanks to Saru’s good acting we made it backstage, and-” Saruhiko puts a hand over Yata’s hand to make him stop talking - he’s getting too excited and forgetting to breathe again.

“And Mr Totsuka let us onto the bus. We hid up on that bunk until just now,” finishes Saruhiko in Yata’s place while the shorter redhead nods.

“All of that just to meet us?” Mikoto asks, at once incredulous and impressed.

“Nice,” Tatara says with a smile.

“What the hell, Tatara, are you on drugs or something?” jokes Kamamoto, shoving Tatara’s shoulder playfully. “Nice” isn’t really the adjective that would pop into most people’s minds in this situation. Then again, Tatara really isn’t like most people in any respect, figures Kamamoto. Tatara just continues to smile at Kamamoto, avoiding the question in a kind of worrisome way.

“Actually, we were kind of hoping to maybe stay with you guys?” Maybe it’s because he’s still pretty high-strung, but Yata’s suggestion ends up sounding more like a question.

Kusanagi, Mikoto, Tatara, and Kamamoto look at each other. There is some kind of wordless communication between Mikoto and Kusanagi in particular; Tatara isn’t even trying to be helpful. The other three can pretty much guess that Tatara is perfectly fine with the two runaways sticking with HOMRA though - if he had some sort of problem with them, whatever it may be, he wouldn’t dismiss their presence so casually. After thinking about it for a little bit, Kusanagi decides to discuss things with Saruhiko and Yata again.

“You two really are only here to meet us, aren’t you?” he asks; they nod. “Well, we can’t really kick you off the bus in the middle of nowhere - that would just be cruel.” (Yata squeezes Saruhiko’s hand, silently gloating that he had been right on that front.) “But if the press finds out you guys are here, they’ll think we’ve kidnapped you. That could ruin us.”

“But we can say that you guys didn’t-” Yata starts, only to be cut off by Saruhiko’s hand covering his mouth again.

“Hush, Misaki,” he whispers. Hesitating for a second, Yata then nods, falling silent.

“So... I think the best thing to do is have you guys stay on the bus with us until we get to the next major city, and then let you find your way home from there. How's that sound?” he suggests. Mikoto looks like he's thinking the whole thing over; Kamamoto is definitely not sure.

“What if we join you guys?” Yata suddenly asks. The band members do a double-take.

“Join us? As musicians?” Kamamoto asks in turn. Now Saruhiko squeezes Yata's hand, though Yata isn't sure whether that's to tell him he's crazy or that he agrees with the idea.

“What do you guys play?” Mikoto puts in.

“Bass guitar,” declares Yata proudly - and it's true, he's been playing bass guitar for upward of four years now. Saruhiko says nothing. Only then does it occur to Yata that Saruhiko doesn't actually play any instruments. “And, um, Saru's super smart, so he can help with technical stuff.”

Saruhiko clicks his tongue.

“You're suggesting you join us as a bassist and a techie?” Kusanagi checks; when Yata nods, he frowns for a moment, then turns to the band members. “What do you say?”

“I say give ‘em a chance,” shrugs Mikoto, much to Yata's delight.

“If Mikoto's in, I'm in too,” Kamamoto says, offering Yata and Saruhiko a smile. Something in Yata's gut tells him that this guy is going to become his friend sooner or later. He hopes that's really the case.

“Me too~” Tatara's as enthusiastic as ever.

“So I guess we'll want to be hearing how you sound, Yata,” Kusanagi then says, turning back towards Yata and Saruhiko. “We have an extra section in the back with some instruments - I think we did bring the bass guitar, didn't we? Yeah, we did.”

“You hear that, Saru?” enthuses Yata. Saruhiko can't help but give Yata a little encouraging smile, though he's worrying in his mind about whether they'll accept Yata just like that. He knows that the band's usual bassist broke his leg the week before the tour started, but asked the others to go on tour without him anyway to avoid disappointing the fans. They could certainly do with a new one, and it's not like Yata can't play (on the contrary, he's quite the prodigy). It's just that Yata has limited  experience with audiences.

“Come along,” Mikoto says to Saruhiko as they head towards where the bunk beds are. Right now, Saruhiko can’t put his finger on it, but something about Mikoto rubs him the wrong way; he dismisses it as a false warning, but the feeling doesn’t completely dissipate. He follows anyway.

Kusanagi pushes at a particular part of what had looked like a wall, but turned out to be a door. A small circular patch gets pushed inwards and the door swings open, revealing a room with high windows and lots of artificial light. Pieces of paper are scattered here and there. At the far end is a door that’s located on the opposite side of the bus to the door through which Yata and Saruhiko had entered; Saruhiko assumes this is the door the crew use to return the instruments to the bus. Kamamoto’s drum set is near the far door, Tatara’s guitar rests against a nearby door, and the bass guitar is in a corner. Kusanagi goes over to set it up.

“All right!” cheers Yata, clearly excited to get to show his idols what he’s made of.

“How about we all do a song together?” Kamamoto proposes then. Saruhiko side-eyes him suspiciously, suddenly mistrustful of his intentions - but Yata doesn’t seem to read the atmosphere at all.

“Oh my god, really?” he asks, now even more thrilled than he already was. Mikoto looks from Kamamoto to Yata and smiles, nodding.

“Yeah. Then we can see if you sound good with the rest of us,” says the redhead. Yata stares at him for a moment, then grins broadly and nods, dashing off to where Kusanagi is still messing with the amplifier on the bass guitar. Not thinking of anything else to do, Saruhiko edges towards Yata’s corner, hoping to stand near his friend when they start up their song. He’s focused on Yata entirely; so much, in fact, that he entirely misses Tatara and Mikoto’s conversation. _Misaki will be fine, I’m sure of it,_ he tells himself. _And if it’s for him, I’ll do anything._ With that thought floating through his mind, Saruhiko decides he’s going to do his best to be accepted into the Homra crew too.

“You’re worried about something, aren’t you, Mikoto?” Tatara asks quietly, smiling gently at his band leader.

“Thinking about what Eric’s gonna say,” explains Mikoto. Eric - the band’s regular bassist - had told them over and over again that they should just hire an emergency replacement (or coerce Kusanagi into playing bass for the sake of the band, which could have quite possibly worked with the right wording). Mikoto had been adamant in refusing though. This sudden change of heart would surprise him, no doubt.

“I’m sure he won’t mind,” Tatara replies.

“You think?”

“Don’t sweat it. It’ll all work out.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

The practice session turns out to be an absolute success. Not only had Yata practiced playing along with recordings of HOMRA songs many times already to get the timing and pace right, they also managed to choose the one song that he tends to practice the most often (without Yata saying anything). It does figure, of course, that for the past year or so, Yata has been learning to play almost exclusively HOMRA songs. Saruhiko watches him intently the entire time.

“Wow, that sounded good,” says Kusanagi, clapping when they finish. “You’ll have to do some practice with us, but that was way better than what I had been hoping for.”

“So does that mean-” begins Yata, practically choking up with all the things he’s feeling.

“It does.” Before anyone else can make the decision or argue the point, Mikoto confirms it. “Yata, welcome to HOMRA.”

“Yeah!” Yata shouts, punching the air hard enough that if he had hit anything, he would’ve probably seriously hurt himself. Saruhiko snorts, amused at how cute Yata’s being. It’s really only Yata that can make him laugh - even if he’s laughing _at_ Yata. _He really did it_ , thinks Saruhiko. The thought makes him feel warm inside. _  
_

“Ah, but there’s still the matter of-” Kusanagi tries to say, but Mikoto decides it’s time to interrupt people again right now.

“Fushimi, you’re welcome to stay too,” he declares with a little smile at Saruhiko.

“But you haven’t even seen what I can do yet,” answers Saruhiko. He’s wary of this whole thing being some sort of elaborate joke and has to remind himself constantly that most people aren’t like his father. _Most people wouldn’t say that just to get a kick out of laughing at you for believing them,_ he hears a voice in his mind say that sounds suspiciously like Yata. Then again, it usually is Yata that pulls him out of his dark thoughts…

“It’s fine. We can’t keep your friend and throw you out. ‘Sides, if you two say that you can do tech stuff, I believe you.”

“You heard Mikoto,” says Kusanagi. “Welcome to the crew!”

Yata runs back over to Saruhiko and grabs his hand again.

“We did it, Saru! We’re really gonna be working with Homra.” A bright light shines in Yata’s eyes as he speaks, and Saruhiko is so captivated by that light that he forgets to breathe for a second. “This is literally a dream come true, and we’re doing it _together_ , which makes it even better!” (And Saruhiko’s heart flutters at the notion that Yata really likes spending time with him - and that he'd say so very openly).

 

Half an hour of briefing and introductory talk later, Kusanagi takes Yata and Saruhiko back to the bunk bed area.

“This is where you guys will be sleeping. We had this thing made with extra beds anyway, so there's a few spares. You guys can choose whichever-”

“Saru, let's share a bed,” Yata says before Kusanagi can even finish. The manager laughs a little at how enthusiastic their new recruit is; Saruhiko tries to fight the blush that's threatening to darken on his face. “It'll be like a sleepover.”

“We sleep in different beds for sleepovers,” Saruhiko points out, very much flustered at the thought of sleeping in Yata's bed. _... Just because I'm not used to sharing a bed with someone, nothing else_ , he insists to himself.

“Oh yeah... How about you take the top one and I take the bottom one here, then?” suggests Yata, barely missing a beat. Saruhiko nods. He can't tell if he's relieved or disappointed that he's no longer going to be sharing Yata's bed - that is, until he reminds himself not to be ridiculous. Taking the backpack off his back, he tosses it back onto the very bunk bed where he and Yata had been hiding out when they'd been discovered mere hours ago. Suddenly he and Yata realize something at the same time.

“We didn't bring any pajamas, did we?” asks Yata nervously. Saruhiko shakes his head.

“It's fine, I'm sure there's some extra sports pants or something you guys can borrow.” Ever ready with a solution, Kusanagi offers a smile and starts searching for the pants he was talking about. Yata watches him for a moment before focusing his attention back on Saruhiko. Yet another grin creeps onto Yata’s face; he seems to be thinking about something particular. Saruhiko gives him a look that asks what Yata’s trying to tell him.

"... Saru!" shouts Yata, throwing himself at his friend. Saruhiko doesn't really know how to react when all of a sudden, Yata's arms are around his neck and they're really, really close together; Yata doesn't even notice that he's flustering Saruhiko. "I can't believe we're really here together," says Yata quietly, hugging Saruhiko more tightly.

"Me neither," replies Saruhiko, and it really is true - he finds it hard to believe that he's standing in the tour bus of the famous band HOMRA, with his best friend holding him very close. He reaches up and hugs Yata back. It's a wholly unfamiliar thing for Saruhiko, who didn't exactly grow up with loving parents or cuddly younger siblings like Yata did, but if it's Yata being all close with him... Saruhiko rests his head on Yata's shoulder for just a moment before they pull away from each other. The feeling of wanting Yata close to him again is one that Saruhiko is entirely unable to repress.

 

Dinner is whipped up quickly by Kusanagi in the mini-kitchen a little while later. They're driving on the highway and it would be inconvenient to stop because of the risk of getting stuck in traffic, insists Kusanagi as he stirs the sauce for the pasta; Tatara is practically dancing around him trying to sneak a bite of food.

"So how come you ran away?" Mikoto asks Yata and Saruhiko. They're all sitting around the coffee table, which is serving as a makeshift dinner table.

"To join you guys?" Yata replies, looking confused because he thought they'd explained this already.

"Yeah, I know, but... What about your family?" elaborates Mikoto.

"Meh, they'll be fine," says Yata casually. "My mom's got my siblings and her new husband, she'll be happy enough without me." Rather than try to argue, Mikoto just nods slowly, thoughtfully, then looks at Saruhiko.

"..." Saruhiko says nothing, just shrugs and glances towards Yata.

"Anyway, what's the next city we're going to?" Yata asks, grinning at Mikoto. He knows that Saruhiko doesn't like to talk about his family, so changing the subject early on is for the best.

As Mikoto continues answering the many questions Yata has, a door beside the bathroom opens and Kamamoto comes out with his hair in a towel and flip-flops on his feet. Saruhiko looks his way - he hadn't realized there was a shower on the bus too. Kamamoto notices he's being watched, so he smiles at Saruhiko, who quickly looks at the ground. _He's making fun of me,_ Saruhiko tells himself. Before Kamamoto can say anything, Kusanagi calls out that dinner's ready. Tatara helps Kusanagi bring the food to the table.

"Well, here's to our two new crew members," says Kusanagi once they're all seated. He raises his glass; everyone else follows suit and repeats the last part.

"To our new members!"

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really late, but I've been very busy this month... So I figured I'd post it before the new year rolls around! I'm going to try to get back to updating regularly after this, too.

It's dark behind the curtain that hangs in front of Saruhiko's bunk as he lies awake that night, staring at the ceiling. Everyone else is either already asleep or is faking it very well, because all he hears is their breathing, the hum of the bus's engine, and the occasional snore from Mikoto. He can't sleep.

The day's events keep replaying themselves over and over in his head, like a movie that's stuck on repeat. Yata's excited smile, in particular, won't leave his mind; he can't even pretend not to be keeping himself awake thinking of Yata at this point. Sighing, Saruhiko turns to face the curtain. Staring at its plain black design isn't exactly riveting though, and Saruhiko quickly grows bored. He reaches out and pulls the curtain back a little.

The bus is faintly lit up in a pale blue hue from the lamps in the ceiling that have been set to night mode. Saruhiko figures if he were standing by the window, he could probably see outside pretty easily. From his position the view is just of sleeping people though.

A small sound from below him catches his attention.

Saruhiko pulls himself to the edge of the bed and leans his head down to check on Yata. It figures, of course, that Yata had been able to fall asleep without needing to block out the light with the curtain - which is an advantage to Saruhiko right now. Even without his glasses, he can make out the general shape of Yata, who's curled into a ball and shaking. _Is he crying?_ wonders Saruhiko. He decides that this whole snooping thing isn't the best way to find out, so he whispers Yata's name. The lump of Yata shifts so he can see Saruhiko.

"Is everything okay?" asks Saruhiko.

"... Can you come down?" Yata asks in return, so Saruhiko nods, leans back, and swings himself over the edge of the bed. Once on the ground, he sits down on the edge of Yata's bed.

"What happened?" Saruhiko's concerned about Yata; _isn't he supposed to be dead happy?_

"Nightmare," mutters Yata. Suddenly it all makes sense - Yata's always had particularly vivid dreams. This is normally an advantage, since he can tell fantastic stories as if he read them someplace based solely on his dreams, but his nightmares are equally vivid. One time, he showed up at Saruhiko's house at three in the morning, close to tears, because of a dream he'd had in which Saruhiko had died. It took quite some time to calm him back down. Saruhiko remembers that as one of the only times he's ever really felt wanted, and even though in the end he had to go to school on virtually no sleep, he remembers it fondly. Sighing softly, he reaches out to ruffle Yata's hair (that always helps for some reason). Yata grabs his arm and tugs Saruhiko down towards him.

"Misaki?" says Saruhiko, surprised at how Yata's acting. Yata doesn't let go of his arm.

"I don't wanna talk about it. Just... Stay with me, okay?" he asks. Saruhiko nods and swings his legs onto the bed, letting Yata throw the covers over him. There's a long moment of silence before Saruhiko says anything.

 "I'm not going anywhere," he whispers, gently loosening Yata's grip on his arm (which is starting to leave marks for all its intensity). "I'll be here with you the whole night."

 "Thanks," whispers Yata in response. He raises his head so their eyes meet, and even though things are kind of blurry to Saruhiko thanks to the fact that he's not wearing his glasses, he can make out individual colors in Yata's eyes. They stay still. With each passing second, Yata's breathing slows down until he's no longer freaking out. Neither of them can really explain it, but Saruhiko has always had a strange calming effect on Yata's nerves when it really counts - just his presence is often enough to jar Yata out of a frantic moment. It doesn't take long for Yata's shoulders to relax as he himself lets some tension go. Saruhiko, meanwhile, feels his heart beat faster the longer he stares into Yata's eyes and _damn, have I always felt like this towards him?_

 "Feeling any better?" Saruhiko asks after a moment to try to wrench his thoughts away from how _close_ he is to Yata.

 "Yeah..." Yata's voice trails off as he debates whether to explain the dream to Saruhiko. He decides to gloss over the details and give a brief summary. "You died again, Saru. In my dream, I mean. You died because I didn't notice your foot was stuck under this piece of driftwood, and then the tide came in, and I ran to the shore before I realized you were still there, and I couldn't run back in time, but you shouted that you forgave me anyway, and..."

 "I would forgive you," says Saruhiko. He's not even sure whether that's true, but he wants to say _something_ to make Yata feel better. And honestly, the thought that his own death would shake Yata up this badly is enough to give him a sort of wrenching pain in his chest.

 "You would?" asks Yata quietly, shuffling a little bit closer to Saruhiko.

 "I would," he answers. Yata smiles then, still a little shocked from how real the dream had felt but feeling very, very comfortable beside his best friend. He leans his head against Saruhiko's chest. Slowly, nervously, Saruhiko reaches over and wraps an arm around Yata, who immediately cuddles closer to him. Physical contact often makes Saruhiko uncomfortable, but Yata's familiar warmth has the opposite effect. Saruhiko relaxes again. Lying here like this with Yata feels so natural; they've been having sleepovers for so long, and Yata's had nightmares often enough, that this is a practiced routine of sorts. They'll probably both be asleep very soon. When Saruhiko is this close, Yata won't have any nightmares.

 "... Saru?" begins Yata after an extended moment of comfortable silence.

 "Hmm?" Saruhiko hums, leaning back a little to look at Yata.

 "Thanks for, you know, this. It makes me really happy to know you're here." The sincerity in his voice makes Saruhiko blush a little bit. Yata's earlier thank-you had also been sincere, of course, but somehow he's speaking with more intensity this time. Yata raises his head so their eyes meet. Saruhiko stares at him and can't stop thinking about how adorable Yata is right in this moment, right now. _I want to kiss him_ , whispers a voice in his head. He can't clear the thought; he really, really wants to kiss Yata right now, even though he knows for sure that Yata only sees him as a friend.

  _I wish I could kiss him_ , Yata thinks to himself. He's staring at Saruhiko's lips, but Saruhiko isn't noticing where his eyes are (damn his poor vision without glasses). _Oh my god, I wish I could kiss him right now._

 "We're here together," Saruhiko answers quietly after a moment. "We're here together, so the next time you have a nightmare, wake me." He really does mean it - as much of a light sleeper as he is, when Yata keeps completely quiet, he can't always guess that Yata's upset. _It's better if he knows he can wake me up, anyway_ , thinks Saruhiko. The thought doesn't really linger though and soon he's thinking about Yata's lips again and _damn, did he say something? I don't think he did... I need to stop this_ , he tells himself. Yata smiles at him and Saruhiko swears he really isn't in love, but knows he's lying to himself.

 "Okay," Yata says.

 Then, pushing himself to _just do it already,_ Yata leans his head in a little closer to Saruhiko's until their foreheads touch. His hand finds its way to Saruhiko's chest, where he takes a handful of the fabric to calm his nerves. Saruhiko watches him with a growing knot in his stomach; he feels a bit dizzy with Yata this close. Yata's heart races as he tilts his head a bit to the side. "You're the best, Saru," he whispers, fighting to stop his hands from shaking. Going by his instinct, Saruhiko raises the arm that was wrapped around Yata until he's cupping Yata's face. _Please tell me I'm not reading this situation wrong,_ he thinks, also tilting his head a slight bit and letting his eyes slide shut. Yata is now certain that Saruhiko can feel his erratic heartbeat. He closes his eyes too, leans in, and kisses Saruhiko.

 They're both very gentle with each other. Yata's grip on Saruhiko's shirt loosens as he relaxes again, enjoying the spark that the kiss is sending through his body. Saruhiko feels like the world is spinning very quickly around them, but not in a bad way - like everything is out of control, but he and Yata are safe in their little moment. He pulls back slightly and then kisses Yata again with the same gentleness. When they break apart, they forget to breathe for just a moment.

 "... Goodnight," whispers Yata affectionately, putting his head back against Saruhiko's chest and catching his breath as quietly as he can. He's feeling a million things right now, but more than anything, his mind is buzzing. _My first kiss, and I got to have it with_ Saru _, too,_ he thinks, unable to push back a smile at the idea. His heart's still racing. If he's honest, he wants to kiss Saruhiko again, but he doesn't dare to say anything else for fear of Saruhiko not having loved it as much as he has. Saruhiko, meanwhile, whispers back a "goodnight, Misaki", then slips his arm back around Yata's waist. _This can't be real, he actually kissed me back - does that mean he feels the same?_ Saruhiko wonders. Like Yata, he doesn't dare to say his thoughts out loud in case Yata doesn't feel the same after all. For now, the thought doesn't bother him though. He's too happy with the fact that he's had his first kiss with _Yata_ , the best friend he's been in love with for who knows how long.

 They fall asleep lying close together, slipping into pleasant dreams.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I lied about updating this story regularly, but I'm doing my best ^^'  
> Lots of new stuff happens in this chapter, though, so at least there's that. Enjoy~

"... think he went to take a shower or something?" wonders Kusanagi; Saruhiko drifts into consciousness just in time to catch the end of the manager's sentence.

"Wouldn't we hear the shower then?" Kamamoto reasons. Kusanagi pauses to think that over before agreeing. Before they can say anything else, Saruhiko reaches across Yata (who is still sleeping against his chest) and pulls back the curtain a small amount so he can see what's going on. The light is brighter than he'd expected, so he blinks rapidly to adjust to it. Kamamoto and Kusanagi look over at him.

"Oh, there you are, we were just wondering where you'd gone," says Kusanagi, who looks relieved that Saruhiko hasn't jumped off their bus or something.

"So you guys did end up having a sleepover, huh," adds Kamamoto. He grins at Saruhiko. "Had fun?"

"We just slept," deadpans Saruhiko in response, wishing he could have his glasses right now so he'd be able to see Kamamoto's expression. He has the unpleasant feeling that he's being teased or something.

"Ngh, who the fuck switched the sun on...?" Yata mumbles as he stirs, opening his eyes a crack and looking pleased to find Saruhiko still there with him. Without realizing that they're being watched, he nuzzles against Saruhiko's chest, using the fabric of his shirt to block out the light. "'Morning, Saru." His voice is muffled and Saruhiko finds him impossibly cute right now.

"Well, we just wanted to let you know that breakfast is gonna be ready soon," Kusanagi says. "Feel free to use the shower too, Tatara prefers to shower at night and Mikoto's too damn lazy to get out of his bed."

"Mr Mikoto's lazy?" Yata asks, tilting his head upwards a little so his face is somewhat visible.

"Terribly lazy, I'm afraid." Kusanagi laughs a little. He goes to say something else, but then he gets a phone call, so he apologizes to the group and heads off to the couch to talk to whoever it is. Kamamoto mentions going to help Tatara with the pancakes and leaves too. Once they're alone again, Yata looks up at Saruhiko, gives him a wide smile, and throws his arms around him; Saruhiko tries not to get overwhelmed by all this and settles for softly petting Yata's hair. Tatara watches them from the corner of his eye, saying quietly to Kamamoto that he didn't know they were a romantic thing. Kamamoto shrugs.

"I thought that Yata was kind of your type," Tatara jokes.

"Aw, stop it, Tatara," replies Kamamoto, smiling sheepishly and throwing a little bit of flour at Tatara.  
Ten minutes later, they're all sitting around the coffee table enjoying the breakfast that Tatara and Kamamoto have whipped up. Yata's feeling less groggy now - he's certainly awake enough to chatter Mikoto's ear off about how much he loves the band and how excited he is to be here with them, at least. Mikoto pretends to be very cool about it, but on the inside, he's flattered to get this much attention. Saruhiko tries not to feel the jealous pang in his gut. Across the table, Tatara taps his fork against the edge of the table, beating out a quiet rhythm that he hums along to. Kamamoto watches him for a moment before asking whether Tatara's writing another song; Tatara just smiles and replies, very vaguely, that it's a mystery.

"Alright, guys. Let's get down to business," announces Kusanagi as he puts his cup of coffee down. A snicker from Mikoto makes him glance at the lead singer. "What's so funny about that?"

"Oh, nothing," dismisses Mikoto. Kusanagi raises an eyebrow.

"No, really, Mikoto. Tell me why that was funny," he says, giving Mikoto an inquisitive look. Yata's on the edge of his seat, watching the two of them talking as if it's the latest episode of a show he's been eagerly following.

"It just sounded, well..." Mikoto licks his lips, flirting with his eyes; Kusanagi smacks the back of his head lightly. "Ow, chill," complains Mikoto, making both Kamamoto and Yata laugh. Kusanagi just sighs.

"You never change," he says.

"As if you do," retorts Mikoto. "'Sides, you know you love me."

"You may be my best friend, but you're better off not tempting me to throw you off this bus. Seriously, Mikoto." Kusanagi tries hard to also look serious, but ends up laughing anyway. Next to Kusanagi, Tatara's been tapping out the same rhythm for a while now. Kamamoto seriously thinks he's writing a secret song or something, but after Tatara's very unhelpful response earlier, he decides not to ask. Instead, he watches Yata nudge Saruhiko and whisper something or other. Saruhiko coughs, probably to hide a laugh. Yata nods vigorously and Kamamoto can't help but wonder what the hell they're talking about. They really seem like close friends, Kamamoto notes. I wonder how long they've known each other for?

"So about that business of yours," Mikoto prompts. Kusanagi snaps his fingers.

"That's right, I almost forgot. We've got to start practicing as soon as possible so Yata has enough time to adjust to the group before the concert - speaking of which, Yata, I forgot to ask yesterday whether you've got any experience playing in front of people," Kusanagi adds on. He's smiling kindly, but Yata's nervous anyway.

"U-um, well, not much," admits Yata hesitantly. "But I'll do my best!"

"Hmm, not much experience with audiences... This might be a problem," replies Kusanagi. He frowns as he thinks about it. We don't have another option, and even though it's gone alright without a bassist so far, I don't think we can turn down the chance at having one now, he reasons. But we can't allow for the chance of him messing up in front of a huge crowd. ... Then again, he is playing bass guitar, I doubt many people would notice. Kusanagi continues to play out the two sides of the argument in his head, unsure what the best decision to make is right now. That's when Saruhiko decides to put in his opinion - it is, after all, his best friend (or more?) they're talking about.

"What if we just put him in the back and turn the lights up?" Saruhiko suggests. Everyone looks his way and he instinctively clenches his hands into fists. Yata discreetly puts his hand on one of Saruhiko's to help him relax.

"The lights?" Kamamoto asks.

"Yes, if they're bright enough and pointing in the right direction, the whole audience would probably look like little more than a dark blotch," continues Saruhiko, glancing sideways to check what Yata thinks. It seems Yata's mind doesn't work as fast as Saruhiko's though; he has to think about it for a small while before he can see what his friend means.

"I think you're right, Saru," Yata then answers, enthusiasm building as he speaks. He squeezes Saruhiko's hand softly and gives him a smile.

"We can try that out before the next show, provided we reach the venue in time." There's an approving look on Kusanagi's face - he's really happy to have at least one other person with a logical brain on the team for a change. Given the right lighting, Saruhiko's idea has a high chance of success, thinks Kusanagi. And if it doesn't work, Yata skips out on that concert until we think of the next thing. Everyone seems very relieved. That's when another thought crosses Kusanagi's mind.

"Now the only question left is how to explain you two to the public," he says.

"That's simple," Saruhiko replies immediately. "You just say that we're people you knew before you were famous. You ran into us in the city before or after that last concert, asked if we were still in the music industry, and took Misaki on for a replacement bassist. Then you just say something about keeping me around for old times' sake, they'll buy it if you frame it right." It's like Saruhiko's confidence triples when he's got Yata by his side, if the casual tone with which he speaks is any indication. Kusanagi starts nodding slowly, then grins as he realizes that this could actually work. Now the relief he feels is more firm.

"Sounds like a plan," he says. Mikoto high-fives Kamamoto while Tatara smiles at their new members.

"See? I told you it was a good idea to keep them," Tatara comments to Kusanagi, who laughs.

"You were right, Tatara, you were right."

  
The rest of that day flies by for Yata. He's busy the entire time with practice; as well as he might know the songs the band plays, he's never actually rehearsed with the others before, well, yesterday. It's hard work, but it's work that he loves; Yata puts in as much effort as he possibly can. Saruhiko, meanwhile, feels awkward standing and watching the practice, but also doesn't enjoy waiting without Yata. He really wants to talk about the kiss last night. It's all he's been able to think about - every time he and Yata have talked, he's been forcing himself not to look at his friend's lips because he knows how distracted he'd get. The question of whether they're going to be something different won't leave his mind. Misaki and I as boyfriends, he thinks, and the thought puts a warm feeling in his gut. ... But what if he doesn't want to be my boyfriend? What if he doesn't like me like that? Maybe it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing for him, Saruhiko thinks. He's nervous. He doesn't want to interrupt their practice just to ask Yata to clarify what he feels, though - that would be mortifyingly awkward.

"You okay, Fushimi?" Kusanagi asks. Saruhiko flinches. He hadn't realized it, but he'd been spacing out, and because of that, he hadn't noticed Kusanagi sitting down beside him.

"I'm fine," he answers quickly, hoping Kusanagi didn't pick up on that involuntary flinch but knowing by the sympathetic expression on the man's face that he probably has. Don't look at me like that, I'm not some pathetic child, Saruhiko can't help but think defensively. He has to tell himself a hundred times that Kusanagi is only trying to be nice.

"You know, if something's troubling you, I don't mind listening to you," Kusanagi says.

"No thanks," Saruhiko answers, but his voice is far less tense than it was just now. He's slowly forcing himself to relax a little. It sort of helps that Kusanagi's taking a hint and is keeping some distance between them. Presently, Kusanagi nods, giving Saruhiko a little smile.

"I've got a computer here with access to the details of the equipment we'll have at the next show. If you like, I can bring it here and you can get familiar with it," Kusanagi offers after a small pause. Saruhiko thinks it over, then nods slowly. Messing around with computers is easy, at least, and it'll give him something to do until Yata's back. Kusanagi stands up and rummages through a cabinet until he finds what he's looking for. He brings over the laptop, plugs it into an extension cord that's lying beside the couch, and hands the thing to Saruhiko. Looks interesting, Saruhiko thinks. As it's starting up, Kusanagi takes a final shot at a conversation between them.

"So how long have you and Yata known each other for?" he asks. In truth, he wants to ask about Saruhiko's family, but Kusanagi's perceptive. He'd noticed how Yata had quickly diverged the topic as soon as the question of family came up, so he decided it would be best not to make Saruhiko more uncomfortable than he already seemed.

"A long time," says Saruhiko vaguely. "We were really young when I saw him for the first time."

"Are you guys childhood friends, then?" Kusanagi wonders. He doesn't mind that Saruhiko isn't answering in great detail.

"Pretty much." Saruhiko himself is painfully aware that the replies he's giving Kusanagi don't really answer the questions they're meant to be answering, but he's still not sure how to act around someone like the manager of a band as famous as HOMRA. It's becoming less weird to talk to him the longer the conversation goes for though.

"Mikoto and I have know each other since forever as well," Kusanagi says. "Tatara joined us a little later, but we've also been around him for ages. ... Kamamoto's a more recent addition compared to those two, actually." That statement means more when you know, as Saruhiko happens to (from a magazine or from Misaki, he can't remember), that Kamamoto's been friends with the other band members for a good many years. Saruhiko wonders idly whether Kusanagi and Mikoto knew each other as children just as he and Yata did. He wants to say something, but the computer makes a sound right then to inform him that it's ready to go.

  
Lunch time arrives rather sooner than Saruhiko had expected.

The bus comes to a stop at a gas station in the middle of nowhere - that is to say, the stop is a little way off the highway and isn't near any towns or other signs of life, really. Saruhiko figures this is the kind of place where the band members have to stop to escape the attention of the fans. He watches from the window as the driver climbs off the bus, but his attention is quickly directed to a very energetic Yata that emerges from the music room, grinning from ear to ear.

"Saru! You wouldn't believe how much stuff we did," enthuses Yata, latching onto Saruhiko's arm and practically dragging him off the bus as he talks about his apparently thrilling practice session. Saruhiko enjoys listening to Yata when he's this excited (even if he wouldn't admit as much).

The whole group is soon standing outside the bus, stretching their legs and enjoying the fresh air. Tatara's humming a song again, but this time, it's one that Saruhiko and Yata recognize. They stand there waiting for Kusanagi. It only takes a moment for him to show up in the doorway, saying goodbye to someone over the phone. He hangs up, smiles at the group, and scans the horizon for something or other. Before Yata or Saruhiko can ask what's going on, Tatara stops humming and starts smiling. He points in the direction of a car that's pulling into the gas station lot. Kusanagi's smile grows too as he heads over to the car.

"Um, is that a friend or something?" Yata asks Kamamoto.

"No, that's Anna," he answers. Yata looks at Kamamoto blankly.

"His girlfriend?" tries Yata.

"Daughter, actually," Kamamoto explains; Yata's jaw drops. "But the driver should be his ex-girlfriend, I think." And sure enough, a woman steps out of the driver's seat at the same time that a young girl of around 10 years old gets out on the passenger side. The girl runs up to Kusanagi, who bends down to pick her up, twirling her around in a circle. He's laughing. The group is standing too far away to hear what Kusanagi and his ex are talking about, but she leaves fairly quickly, kissing her daughter goodbye before leaving her with her father. Kusanagi puts Anna back down and takes her hand, leading her over to the group.

"Sorry for the delay, guys. Yata, Fushimi, this is Anna, my daughter," he introduces proudly after quickly apologizing to the other members. It seems the group as a whole is delighted to see Anna though. "Anna, these are two of our new members," he says, indicating the pair. Yata tries to look less surprised than he did a moment ago. He steps forward and holds out his hand, smiling at her - he's got two younger siblings, so he knows how to act around children.

"Hey there! I'm Misaki Yata," he states cheerfully; everyone notices that he's speaking in a very friendly tone, and that in contrast to earlier, Yata doesn't seem to mind introducing himself with his first name if it's to a child.

"Hi Misaki," Anna greets shyly, taking his hand and shaking it.

"This is my best friend, Saruhiko," he goes on to say, beckoning Saruhiko over. Anna smiles at them - it's a small smile, but it's a smile nonetheless.

"It's nice to meet you," she says. Then she spots Mikoto and her face positively lights up. With a little cry of "Mikoto!", she lets go of Kusanagi's hand and runs up to Mikoto, hugging his legs. Mikoto pats her head. She steps back a moment later, only to be picked up by Tatara. He says something about being glad to see his princess again, making her giggle. Kamamoto grins and asks whether Anna’s grown, because she looks taller and ever so much more like a princess, which also delights the girl. Yata finds the whole thing impossibly cute and can't repress a smile.

"I never knew you had a daughter," he comments to Kusanagi, who laughs a little.

"That's the idea," answers Kusanagi. "I don't want her to grow up having to live in the limelight all the time. The fewer people that know about her, the better. These guys all know her pretty well though. ... Hey, Mikoto, do not smoke when my daughter's on your shoulders, she could get hurt," he scolds, quickly forgetting about Yata and heading over to rescue Anna. Yata grins happily.

"They're kind of like a family, aren't they?" he asks Saruhiko.

"I guess," dismisses Saruhiko.

"Hey, you two," Kamamoto calls. "We're gonna go get lunch from the gas station, you wanna grab something too?"

"Hell yeah!" shouts Yata. He takes Saruhiko's hand and pulls him along to the building where they're getting food. Saruhiko's happy to note that Yata intertwines their fingers in a way he's never done before - it reminds him somehow of something from a cheesy romance movie. Squeezing Yata's hand, he follows along. Just before they actually enter the shop, Yata comes to an abrupt stop and looks at Saruhiko.

"... I forgot to ask what you've been up to today."

"Tech stuff," shrugs Saruhiko. "You wouldn't get it." Yata doesn't get offended - he knows Saruhiko doesn't mean that in a pretentious way, and besides, he's impressed more than anything else. He's smiling again. This time, it's a fonder smile, coming less from excitement and more from the happiness he feels whenever he and Saruhiko get to spend time together. ... And maybe from the admiration he feels for the guy he's sort of kind of maybe very in love with.

"Cool," he half-whispers.

With that, they head off to the shop, buy some lunch, and get back on the bus in a hurry (apparently someone had tipped some paparazzi off about their location, so they have to leave as quickly as they can before the cameras arrive). Yata doesn't let go of Saruhiko's hand until he has to in order to eat his food.


	9. Chapter 9

It's getting towards evening by the time they make their next stop. Anna had wanted to eat at Pizza Hut, so with some persuasion, Mikoto had gotten Kusanagi to (sigh and) agree that, fine, they could get dinner there. She had either checked a map or gotten really lucky, Kusanagi decides, because they pass a Pizza Hut not a full ten minutes after he'd told the driver to stop at the next one. Yata’s talking to Kamamoto about food while they wait for the stop.

“But curry’s still the best,” Yata insists. “I mean, there's so  _ many  _ good curries out there - you can't just claim that  _ all  _ of those are below sandwiches.” He crosses his arms and grins like he's just said the smartest thing he could think of.  _ Which he honestly may have,  _ Saruhiko thinks sarcastically. He's standing by the beds and sorting out the things they've brought with them in the small backpack. Not that there's a lot to sort, necessarily, but Saruhiko reckons if he does a quick inventory now, it'll be easier to buy what they need when they next have the chance. He glances back to the couch, where Kamamoto is mulling over what Yata just said.

“Hmm, that's true,” he concedes, earning a satisfied nod from Yata. “But curry isn't easy to carry with you or wrap up - plus, it doesn't work for every meal. Sandwiches make up for those gaps, and  _ that  _ is why sandwiches are better.”

“That's not a bad point.” It's obvious by the thoughtful look on Yata’s face that he's taking this seriously. He’s wondering how to break their tie when a good idea hits him, so he turns his head towards Saruhiko. “Hey Saru, can you be the judge?”

“I don't like curry  _ or  _ sandwiches,” shrugs Saruhiko.

“What? I thought you liked my curry,” Yata replies, pouting dramatically. Saruhiko clicks his tongue and shakes his head, deciding that maybe, it's okay to indulge Yata a little.

“ _ Your _ curry, sure, but that's because you don't put any vegetables in my portion.” Kamamoto’s jaw drops as Yata grins proudly. Staring from one to the other, he wonders in silent horror whether  _ neither  _ of these two rookies like vegetables or whether it's just Saruhiko. Either option seems pretty terrible to him. After all, what could be better than a steaming plate of well-seasoned veggies, or even a sandwich packed full of colorful ones, or pasta with meat-and-vegetable gravy… Kamamoto kind of loses his train of thought as he continues asking himself whether Saruhiko and/or Yata honestly don't like any of those things.

“So does that mean you choose curry over sandwiches?” coaxes Yata, clearly hoping to win against Kamamoto.

“Yes, Misaki, I suppose it does,” Saruhiko finally concedes. Yata punches the air in victory.

“See? I told you so. And if Saru says it's true,” he continues, looking at Saruhiko with a kind of starstruck expression as he goes back to clearing out the backpack, “then it's gotta be true.”

Kamamoto decides Yata and Saruhiko must be dating.

“C’mon boys, if we get out now the driver will find a place to put the bus,” calls Kusanagi at that moment. None of them had really noticed that the bus had stopped in the first place, but it's a good surprise - Yata and Kamamoto have been eagerly anticipating dinner since it was announced. Kamamoto picks up his jacket and beckons to the other two; Yata grabs Saruhiko’s wrist and drags him off the bus, laughing all the way. Yata knows Saruhiko would just stay on the bus and not eat if he didn't make him do otherwise.

“Wanna share a family pizza, Saru?” Yata calls over his shoulder as they're leaving the bus.

“Those are huge though,” Saruhiko says.

“Yeah, and you barely eat anything, so we can take the leftovers onto the bus!” replies Yata.  _ Fair enough _ , thinks Saruhiko; if Yata wants midnight-snack-leftover-pizza, so be it. Saruhiko nods and Yata grins. “Nice, I can't wait to pick the pizza!”

In the Pizza Hut, Tatara goes looking for a table large enough for all of them and finds it in a corner. He beckons for the group to come over. Yata’s still holding on to Saruhiko, who finds it kind of cute - though a little less so when Yata gives a sudden yank on his arm to get him to move faster. At the table, Yata immediately scoots onto one of the couches, pulling Saruhiko in after him. Kamamoto takes the spot next to Yata and grabs the menu.

“Okay, so I know you don't want anything with vegetables…” Yata says to Saruhiko as he starts contemplating the ideal pizza for them to share while the others take their seats.

“So which pizza do you want, Anna?” Kusanagi prompts once he notices she's not even looking at the menu.

“The same as Tatara,” she answers simply. Her father raises an eyebrow.

“Are you sure? You don't know what Tatara wants yet, so you might not-” he tries to reason, only to be cut off by Tatara clapping his hands excitedly.

“I'll have to pick something extra-delicious then,” declares Tatara.

“Can you pick one for me?” Mikoto asks Kusanagi, leaning back to watch the rest of the group chat and choose their pizzas. Kusanagi would be lying if he said he hadn't expected the question; it’s classical Mikoto to not care enough about what he eats to leave it to Kusanagi. He also knows that Mikoto expects him to make a good decision though, because while he’s normally quite laid-back, Mikoto can be oddly picky about little trivial things. Kusanagi nods.

“Hey, Kusanagi, you need some help carrying stuff back to the table?” Kamamoto calls to get Kusanagi’s attention. It figures they'd all go on the assumption that Kusanagi’s going to make the order - he usually does, after all.

“I don't think I can carry seven pizzas by myself, so yeah,” he replies half-jokingly. Turning to look at Tatara, he gives him a questioning look with his eyes and Tatara nods, jumping to his feet.

“I'll come along too!” declares Tatara.

“Yata, wanna help out?” Kamamoto asks, glancing at Yata, who looks really excited.

“Sure!” And with that, they make for the counter to order the pizzas and carry them back. As for the drinks, they'll probably grab those before the pizzas are done and drop them off at the table as well. Mikoto, Saruhiko, and Anna are left at the table alone and realize pretty quickly that they're the quiet ones among the others. Saruhiko starts picking at the hem of his sleeves in a nervous habit. Anna’s staring from him to Mikoto intently. Finally she speaks.

“Mikoto,” she says in a soft voice. Saruhiko wonders whether it's her natural voice, or whether she's being quiet because she doesn't have to shout over the rest of the group for a change. Mikoto glances at her. “Can I sit with you?”

“Sure,” he answers. Anna takes Kusanagi’s chair so she can sit next to Mikoto, where she looks very pleased. Smiling a little, he pets her hair gently. It feels to Saruhiko like he's intruding on a private family moment and that thought makes him more nervous than before. Something about Mikoto seems to have that effect on him. He wonders whether Mikoto’s intimidating to everyone, or if it's something specific to Saruhiko himself, but decides he doesn't want to mention it. Saruhiko glances towards Yata to distract himself.

What he sees is indeed very distracting.

Yata and Kamamoto are laughing about something, nudging each other and trying to stay quiet. In principle, there’s nothing wrong with that, but Saruhiko doesn't like the way Kamamoto’s hand is resting on Yata’s shoulder like it belongs there. It gives him a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that's hard to ignore. The restaurant is just crowded enough that Saruhiko misses what Yata says next, but he notices how whatever it is makes Kamamoto wiggle his eyebrows and wink dramatically, earning another laugh from Yata. Saruhiko forces himself to look away as he repeats mentally that he's definitely not jealous,  _ it's just that we haven't really talked about  _ us  _ since that kiss and that's what's bothering me. _ He's pretty convinced that that's the case, at least.

“Something bothering you, kid?” Mikoto asks. Saruhiko flinches slightly, having forgotten he was at the table with Mikoto.

“It's nothing,” he says quickly. Mikoto nods and looks back at Anna, thankfully leaving their conversation (if it can be called one) at that. For a moment or two, Saruhiko’s eyes linger on Mikoto as he tries to ignore the unpleasantly ominous feeling in his gut.  _ It really is nothing _ , he repeats to himself.  _ I’m probably just intimidated because he's famous, nothing else. _

Even as he thinks it, he knows there's something more to it, but doesn't let himself linger on the subject.

“Drinks~” chimes Tatara’s voice all of a sudden. Sure enough, he's come back to the table with Yata and Kamamoto, who are each trying to hold three big cups. Tatara is unhelpfully only carrying a small one, which he puts down in front of Saruhiko with a flourish. “Yata said you'd want a small one, so here you go! And Anna, I convinced your dad to let you have a large drink, but you can give it to me if you don't want it.” With that being said, Tatara starts taking drinks from Yata and Kamamoto’s hands to place them in the right spot. He sends the two of them back to Kusanagi when he's done. Anna reaches for her cup and starts sipping away at it; Tatara pats her head affectionately.

“Oh, I think Kusanagi wants me to go help out as well,” Tatara then says, turning away and heading back over to the counter. Silence falls again. Saruhiko wishes he had something with him that he could look at for a distraction - his music player would be nice, but of course, he’d left it in the bus. A sudden chill runs down his spine as he feels Mikoto’s eyes land on him.

“Hey,” he says. Saruhiko sits up a little straighter and looks at him. “No need to be nervous.”

“Mikoto, can I try your drink?” Anna interrupts, much to Saruhiko’s relief. He would not have known how to respond to what Mikoto said, but he knows awkward silence isn’t really the best way to thank someone for trying to be nice either, so this is a good way out. For a very small moment Anna looks up from the drink Mikoto’s letting her have a sip from, meets Saruhiko’s eyes, and then looks back down like nothing had happened.  _ She did that on purpose, _ he realizes.

That's when the others come back.

“Saru, look at the size of this thing!” Yata exclaims excitedly, putting one of the two plates he’s holding down in front of Saruhiko. Sure enough, the “family size” pizza deserves its name.

“You were the one who-” begins Saruhiko, but he stops short when Yata slips and nearly drops the other pizza right onto Saruhiko. He clicks his tongue as he takes it from Yata’s hands.

“Um, that one’s for Anna,” says Yata. Saruhiko nods and moves around the table to put it in front of her. She meets his eyes again, and somehow, amid all the strange things that have happened since this whole adventure started, Saruhiko finds that Anna’s eyes give him an odd sort of comfort. At any rate, he’s grateful that she spared him an awkward moment just now. Yata tugs at Saruhiko’s sleeve to end his train of thought.

“Saru,” he whines, “I'm hungry, sit down already so we can eat!”

 

Later that night, Kamamoto is the last person to make their way to the bed bunks, so it’s unofficially decided that he's got to be the one to switch the lights off.

“Good night!” he calls once they're out. Everyone replies except Anna, who has been asleep for a while already despite her claims that she could stay awake as long as her dad could.

Saruhiko’s lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. With the lights out, he doesn't see the point of drawing the curtains, so they're open. The faint blue glow of the lights’ night setting illuminates the inside of the bus. He counts to thirty, forty, fifty, slows his breathing, closes his eyes - and does not feel the least bit sleepy. In the quiet, he listens for Yata’s very faint snore that he's gotten used to hearing over the years, but doesn't pick it out. He scoots to the edge of the bed and counts to sixty this time.

“Misaki?” he then whispers. “Are you awake?”

“Yeah,” comes the reply right away. “I can't sleep… Hey, Saru? Wanna look at the stars?”

“Okay,” says Saruhiko. He climbs over the edge of the bed and lands as softly as he can on the ground, glancing sideways at Yata, who’s gotten out of bed as well. They pad over to the drawn curtains of the living room area on bare feet, their hands brushing against each other. Each of them takes one curtain and pulls gently so they'll open as soundlessly as possible. Then they step back in front of the window.

The view is truly breathtaking, they both think. A thousand stars sparkle over them as they stand there in the pale moonlight; it had been new moon just two days ago, so the crescent is still a thin sliver on the horizon. Yata feels a smile creep onto his face.

“Isn't this great? You and me, under the stars, in HOMRA’s tour band… It's like I'm about to wake up, but then I keep on, you know, not being asleep,” Yata whispers excitedly. He's trying hard to keep his voice down, but he can't hush the bright lights shining in his eyes. Saruhiko never thought he'd catch himself thinking such corny thoughts, but Yata honestly is perfect like this. He thinks about the happiness in Yata’s eyes and it makes his head spin to see it written there so clearly. In that moment, Saruhiko realizes it had been very, very stupid of him to deny that he’s been in love with Yata for a long time now.

“... Saru? Everything okay?” asks Yata. Saruhiko realizes he's been staring and glances downwards in embarrassment. There's a faint blush on his face that brings a soft laugh out of Yata and Saruhiko feels a rush of affection at the sound of it.

“Yeah,” he replies, taking Yata’s hand, “it's fine.”

Yata’s heart is hammering because Saruhiko is smiling genuinely at him, for  _ him  _ only, and damn if Yata isn't in love with him. Only in that moment does Yata really think about how long it’s been since he actually fell in love. He can't even remember the exact moment.

“I've been meaning to ask about last night, though,” Saruhiko says after a moment.

“Oh.” There's now a blush on Yata’s face as well. He may be much better with emotional things than Saruhiko is, but he gets flustered quite easily, which really isn't helping him.

“Do you…” The rest of Saruhiko’s sentence dies on his lips. It had taken enough effort just to start this conversation; he hates confrontation, especially if it involves his own feelings. He had been hoping that this would be easier. Now, he's at a loss for words and wishes he'd just have waited for Yata to bring this up instead. Thankfully Yata pushes down his own nerves.

“I know you don't wanna ask, so I'll just say it,” he declares, happy that the others are asleep so he has an excuse to do this quietly. “I-I really like you, Saru. I mean, like,  _ like _ like. … Hey, what's so funny about that?”

Saruhiko’s best efforts can’t stop him from snickering.

“It's nothing. I…  _ Like  _ like you too,” he says. Now it’s much easier not to laugh and it feels like a weight has been  _ thrown, _ not just lifted, from his shoulders. Yata lets out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. There’s a moment of comfortable silence, then Yata smiles and squeezes Saruhiko’s hand.

“Let’s go back to bed, I have a feeling I’ll be able to sleep this time.”


End file.
